Chapter 143

"Shut up, you old fool! Why are you always against me? I've been so nice to you! Why do you target me? Why?!" Marissa shrieked, her composure shattering. She smashed everything within reach, a whirlwind of fury.

Everyone recoiled except Dominick, who grabbed her, pinning her down. "Where is Paisley?!" he demanded, his voice controlled, barely masking his rage. His phone was dead, his messengers unresponsive, the police silent. This was his only lead.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Marissa screamed, her voice a banshee wail. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!"

"Hey!" Ronda exclaimed, brandishing her phone. "Everyone, look! What's this message?"

Julian opened his phone to the same video playing on the TV, a copy seemingly in every Vanderbilt's possession. He cranked the volume. Dominick snatched the phone, rewinding.

A trembling Paisley's voice filled the room: "Do you want money? Name your price. Just let my daughter and me go."

"Richer than the Vanderbilts?" Jeremy scoffed. "What's your relationship with Marissa?"

Marissa's eyes darted to the phone, lunging for it. Dominick's hand slammed her against the wall, his patience gone.

Jeremy's voice continued: "You're smart. No wonder Marissa wants you dead."

Paisley's voice: "Let me emphasize, I have no relationship with Dominick. We won't remarry. This is pointless."

Jeremy: "You don't understand. Your existence is a mistake. Only when you're gone will Dominick give up."

Paisley: "This is illegal! You'll never wash the blood off your hands!"

Jeremy, chillingly calm: "This isn't my first kill. And it won't be my last. Besides, once you're gone, Marissa takes your place. As Lady Vanderbilt, she can protect anyone."

Reginald felt a crushing weight in his chest. The Prescotts had been plotting to seize the Vanderbilt family. Marissa and Jeremy, those vipers, aimed to control everything. Grayson would be first, then… the entire family. Regret washed over him. He’d been blindsided.

"Mom, when will we be home?" a child's voice pierced the silence.

The video showed Jeremy’s cruel laughter. "You'll never go home again!" he jeered. "Such a beautiful face. I'll play with you, then kill you! Dominick's woman…"

Kayla slammed the coffee table. "Damn scumbag!" The thought of Marissa's cousin, Stella's father, fueled her rage. She hated Marissa's deceit, and her own blindness.

Lauren sobbed uncontrollably, consumed by regret. She’d helped Marissa's mother, let Stella attend school with Grayson. And this was their repayment.

"Baby, don't be afraid. Mommy's here. I'll protect you," Paisley whispered.

Ronda covered her face, weeping. She'd disliked Paisley, but now saw the truth – the Vanderbilts were the guilty ones. Paisley, even now, protected her child. But Marissa… for her ambition, she'd kill an innocent child! And Grayson was next.

"Goddamn bitch, stop! Let go of me!"

The video shook violently. Paisley and Jeremy struggled. It was a desperate fight for survival.

Hearts clenched. Breaths were held, hoping for a miracle. Dominick's grip tightened, his eyes bloodshot, his face a mask of shattered composure.

Then, Serena's scream cut through the silence: "Mom! Mom! The car's coming!" A deafening horn blared. The video ended.

Lauren collapsed, wailing. Panic seized the room.

"My God!"